It is amazing how small things can make or break a situation. You may have had the experience of assembling an item but the manufacturer left out a bolt or nut, and you can't finish the job until you find a replacement. Small things can make a difference. A simple smile, a "thank you," or holding the door for a young mother as she struggles to herd her children into the store are small, simple things that can make an impact. Tiny gestures in relationships, little parts in a construction project, and a dash of ingredients in baking are all small things that make a difference.
You can attest that tiny pests, like ants, can affect your day. When you sit in the kitchen and see a stream of ants running along the baseboards, you know your plans are on hold until you do something to fix the problem. When you notice flying ants around your house, you instinctively know you may have an issue.
Although ants are tiny, they can cause problems for homeowners. If you see ants lines forming in your house, ants encircling the pet food bowls, or winged ants flying around the windows, you need the Omaha pest control team from Quality Pest Control. Our locally owned and operated company has served the Omaha area for over 20 years by removing ants and other pests from local homes. Because we provide our community with high-value service at the lowest cost possible, we were voted the best pest control service in Omaha by expertise.com in 2022. To better serve you, we will address common questions in this article and give tips to prevent future ant infestations.
If you spend time outside enjoying the beauty of nature, you have noticed many types of ants crawling in the yard and along the pavement. It is impossible to give a detailed description of the approximately 22,000 ant species worldwide, but we can present the general characteristics of these tiny creatures.
Ants are part of the Insecta class in the animal kingdom. All insects have a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), compound eyes, six jointed legs, a pair of antennae, and an exoskeleton. If you look at an ant closely, you will notice it has a pinched waist like a wasp, and that is because ants are related to bees and wasps! The antenna of ants differs from some insects because it is bent or clubbed. Since each ant species varies in body size, color, behavior, and habitat, we will describe the ants commonly found in Omaha houses so you can understand what may be crawling beneath your feet.
- Odorous house ants: As the name suggests, these insects produce an odor when squished. Odorous house ants have a black or brown 1/16 to 1/8-inch body; they nest inside Omaha homes near water heaters, water pipes, and leaky faucets.
- Pavement ants: Once again, the name contains the description, and this time, it tells us where these insects prefer to live: in pavement cracks. Pavement ants are similar in color (brown to black) and size (1/8 inch) to odorous house ants. When they enter Omaha homes, they live in masonry walls and underneath floors.
- Little black ants: While the odorous and pavement ants may be dark brown, these ants come only in one color: black. They are only 1/16 inch long and have a penchant for living around woodwork.
- Acrobat ants: These ants are, in a weird way, entertaining to watch because they raise their large, heart-shaped abdomen over their heads when disturbed. Acrobat ants have a light brown or black 1/8-inch body and live around decaying, fungus-ridden wood.
- Thief ants: So called because they have a habit of creating nests alongside other ant nests and raiding them for food, these pale, spineless, yellowish ants are only 1/16 to 5/16 inch long. If you see a trail of ants in the kitchen leading to a crack in the baseboard or behind the cabinets, it is likely to be thief ants.
- Yellow ants: One standout among all the ants with brown and black bodies is the yellow or citronella ant. These ants have 1/8 to 3/16-inch yellow or yellowish-brown bodies and live around damp wood behind bathroom wall tiles or moist crawlspaces.
- Field ants: Thatching ants, red ants, and wood ants are other names assigned to these ants. The color of field ants ranges from yellowish to reddish brown to black; they have a larger body than other ants (1/8 to 3/8 inch). Fortunately, field ants don't live in houses, but they may temporarily invade a home during the swarming season or when desperate for food.
- Carpenter ants: The ants mentioned thus far are primarily nuisance ants, but this ant is dangerous because it is a destructive creature. As the name suggests, these 5/8-inch red or black ants prefer wood. Unlike other ants that live around wood, carpenter ants bore through damp, often moldy, timber to create their nests, and sometimes the tunnels extend several feet into the wood.
Whatever ant may be infesting your Omaha home, Quality Pest Control is your source for ant pest control near you.
Food-Contamination And Other Problems Ants Can Cause In Your Home
If you observe ants for any length of time, you will notice that they crawl over everything, including rotting food and animal feces. When these insects travel over polluted items, bacteria on the surface attach to their feet and bodies. Later, as they walk over exposed foods, they can contaminate them with their soiled bodies.
Odor is another problem some ants can cause. As mentioned earlier, some ant species produce a smell when squashed or crushed. For example, odorous house ants release a rotten coconut-like smell, yellow ants unleash a lemon-like odor, and some acrobat ant workers discharge an odor when crushed.
Most ants in the Omaha area do not inflict pain because their stinger is too weak (e.g., little black ants and thief ants), but some ants bite. Although field ants are likely to be an outdoor problem, they will bite if their large mounds are disturbed. Carpenter ants bite too, and like field ants, they can inject formic acid into the wound resulting in great pain. Although not as painful, acrobat ants also bite when threatened. Fortunately, a bite from any of these ants is not a cause for concern.
Most ants are simply a nuisance, but carpenter ants are a danger to the structural integrity of your house. Initially, these ants create a large nest in a nearby tree stump, rotting fence posts, underneath stones, or in old firewood, but when the nest matures, they dispatch flying reproducing ants to establish new nests. Damp crawlspaces, basements, and wood decks attract the swarming carpenter ants. Once they find a suitable location, they bore through the wood to create new nests. Although moist, water-damaged wood is the initial attraction for carpenter ants, they will eventually infest dry wood in the home. You do not want to allow an infestation of carpenter ants to ruin your Omaha home. Quality Pest Control is the best pest control company for carpenter ants.
Quality Pest Control offers ant control solutions, so you don't have to worry about food contamination, bites, or damage to your Omaha home.
Five Eco-Friendly Ant Prevention Tips For Around The House
Once Quality Pest Control removes ants from your Omaha home, here are five natural ant prevention tips you can implement to stop future infestations.
- Remove tree stumps, wood piles, rotting landscape timbers, and fence posts from the yard.
- Prune bushes and trees away from the house to prevent ants from using them as highways onto the home.
- Seal cracks in the foundation, along the roofline, around vents, utility boxes, incoming pipes and wires, and frames to prevent entry into the house.
- Install door sweeps underneath exterior doors and replace damaged weather stripping around doors and windows.
- Eliminate standing water around the house by providing drainage to ditches and low-lying areas and removing water-collecting items.
Effective ant control begins with maintaining a clean, dry environment inside and outside your Omaha home. However, if ants have infested your house, you need professional pest control help to resolve the current situation.
Quality Pest Control is your source for pest control ant treatment. We use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions incorporating only EPA-approved products to protect the environment and help prevent future infestations.
Professional Ant Control Is The Best Solution For Omaha Homes
Quality Pest Control provides the best ant control in Omaha. Our service specialist will examine your home and property to determine entry points, attractions, and hot spots. He or she will develop a customized strategic plan using a combination of eco-friendly, family-friendly liquid or bait treatments to destroy the ant population and their nests.
You can rest easy because Quality Pest Control is a certified QualityPro pest control company by the National Pest Management Association and the Quality Pro Accreditation team. Our decades of experience, proven track record, and reputation in the community demonstrate our commitment to providing quality pest control. We have been protecting what matters since 1996! Contact us today to learn more and schedule your consultation.